United Parcel Service will lay off 100 pilots by this fall, according to the Independent Pilots Association. (2/18/2003)

According to Capt. Bob Miller, the president of the Louisville-based pilots association, 19 UPS Airlines pilots were given 30-day notices. Another 81 pilots will be let go, Miller said.

UPS spokesman Mark Giuffre said the company wants to complete the process by September. "This decision is really based on two key issues,'' Giuffre said. "The more modern aircraft only require two pilots. The older aircraft needed three pilots and that has created a surplus for us.''

The other issue is decrease in shipping volume, Giuffre said. "We didn't really feel that this was a necessary step,'' Miller said. "Domestic service has been a little flat, but international has been going very well.''

UPS and the association, which represents 2,520 UPS pilots, have been negotiating a new contract since October 2002. "This will have some bearing on the negotiations,'' Miller said. "It's another issue that comes into play.